Who Should I Start? Deuce Vaughn or Jacory Croskey-Merritt

Monday, January 6, 9:14 AM

Dallas Cowboys running back Deuce Vaughn acted as the team's RB2 on Sunday in the 23-19 loss to Washington following the release of running back Ezekiel Elliott. Vaughn rushed six times for 37 yards, spelling Rico Dowdle. The 5-foot-6 running back looked solid, cranking out a team-long 12-yard carry among his six rush attempts. Vaughn will look to earn a larger role going into next season as Dowdle is set to become an unrestricted free agent in the spring.

Tuesday, May 27, 3:06 PM

Washington Commanders rookie running back Jacory Croskey-Merritt is a potential sleeper to watch during the team's offseason activities, according to Ben Standig of The Athletic. "A back-end roster player who could garner significant attention in the offseason: Jacory Croskey-Merritt," Standig wrote. "The 5-foot-11, 208-pounder has the goods to get there despite sitting out nearly the entire 2024 college season with eligibility issues. If Kingsbury falls for this competitive runner's one-cut burst, there could be a running back room shake-up." The seventh-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft spent the first four seasons of his collegiate career at Alabama State before a breakout season at New Mexico, where he rushed 189 times for 1,190 yards and 17 touchdowns. In 2024 at Arizona, he rushed 13 times for 106 yards and one score in one game appearance. While Brian Robinson Jr. and Austin Ekeler remain penciled in as the RB1 and RB2 for Washington, it sounds like Croskey-Merritt is a name worth monitoring later in the offseason. If he makes the roster, he could be worth stashing in deeper redraft and dynasty leagues. Last season, third-string running back Jeremy McNichols popped up on the fantasy radar, so anything is possible.